Russian lawmakers authorize Putin to use military force outside the country

[Dartz]

Day 25--

I'm thinking about stopping on Friday. 30 days in. The story isn't really changing from the first few posts.

--So, it looks like Putin and Minister Shoygu are planning to send 13-17 year olds to the Front now. An organisation called the Young Army Cadets is being sent to the frontline.
--The fall of Mariupol is now, effectively, inevitable. At best, it's a Pyrrhic victory for Russia
--The Azov batallion in Mariupol are popping T72 tanks with 30mm autocannons by shooting a specific fuel tank
--On the other side of the fuel tank would've been the tanks crew - who probably found the experience somewhat distressing.
--They may have learned how to do this by playing War Thunder where the same trick works.
--For the random unfortunate historian who happens to blunder into this shit and thinks it's a valid researched account, War Thunder is a game where facsimiles of vehicles are simulated to have modules like fuel and ammo in approximately the right place so they blow up 'right' when shot rather than just deplete hit-points and die.
--For the random college instructor who may see this cited - give that student a fucking zero.
--In Kherson farmers are out ploughing anyway, with Ukrainian flags flying from their tractors
--Daily protest rallies are ongoing, but food and supplies are getting thin on the ground.
--Guardian article where I got the above from -- We know who our heroes and traitors are.
--Speaking of traitors, A Ukrainian Admiral who defected with half the Ukrainian fleet in 2014, may be dead.
--Impartial international experts (ISW) have now judged the Russian campaign as 'failed'
--The 'correct' move now would be to stop, regroup and re-organise and hopefully get some fucking cop-on and go home
--Russia continues to fling troops and equipment at objectives without really thinking about it.
--Russia claims to have used an advanced hypersonic missile to destroy an ammo dump
--They launched a ballistic missile from an aircraft, and destroyed a shed on a pig-farm. That'd previously been blown up.
--Russian troops are digging foxholes beside roads to dig in for a long fight
--They've done it so wrong, it has been pointed out by those who understand such things, that they are basically digging their own graves.
--A school with potentially 400 sheltering in it got bombed
--Russia is (A few days ago) warning about false-flags where hospitals have been rigged to explode when they fly their aircraft innocently over them.
--A tank found destroyed was fitted with a unique 1980's prototype active-defense system. It was, maybe, a one-off. They're digging anything that moves out at this point.
--This is now close to entering a Stalemate phase where nothing happens but the casualty count increases.
--Ukraine is supposedly good at keeping its shit safe and wrecking Russia's shit
--Russia still has a lot of shit to expend pointlessly.
--They're not so much imploding like Nazi Germany - but sort of overreaching and deflating.
--Deputy Director of Rosgvardia has been detained by the GRU.
--There're rumours that some may try to replace Putin - either with Shoygu, or with the Mayor of Moscow
--Any replacement of Putin results in a dead Putin - he's too dangerous to leave alive.
--Russian foreign minister digs his heals in - the world order is changing. (And he's not wrong....)
--Meanwhile, In Belarus, railworkers have supposedly destroyed the tracks leading from Belarus to Ukraine - forcing any invasion to rely on trucked supplies
--Russian army built for rail, rather than road. And road convoys are getting picked off. If they don't break down first.
--Belarus *still* hasn't invaded. They've been humming and hawwing over it for two weeks now
--Kazakhistan's president has passed reforms. Powers are passed from the President, to the Parliament. Someone has seen which way the wind is blowing. Borat jokes likely remain a capital offence.
--Australia is pushing the sanctions button, blocking exports of Alumina ore to Russia, and feeding military aid to Ukraine
--Poland is calling on the EU to enact a total trade ban with Russia
--China is still really in two minds. The Chinese people are bordering on drinking Russian news, or wondering if they're next when Russia deflates like a Souffle. To them, this is very much Russia -v- America.
--India and China aren't really doing anything - either out of a hesitancy to get involved in Western Imperialism, or not wanting to make enemies.
--Russia tries to sell gold. Nobody buys it
--Volunteers for Ukraines' foreign legion annoyed that they aren't being immediately flung into the front lines. Or that modern war doesn't match the romanticism of the International Brigades.
--Ukraine can afford to be picky, and has asked for experienced soldiers only
--10 million people have now been displaced in Ukraine and a humanitarian crisis is building.
--The Irish government is trying to arrange an address by Zalensky to the Dail - all the 'cool' countries are doing it
--Zalensky's ability to tailor the message to the tropes of whatever country he's speaking to is remarkable
--There is still a strong information bias in favour of Ukraine
--But, it is clearly important that weapons supplies and military aid are kept up - especially anti-tank munitions
--Unsubstantiated Rumour - US Special forces may already be on the ground in Ukraine.



------